The University of Bristol has one of the largest imbalances between rich and poor students in the country, new data has revealed.
Figures released on Friday by the Office for Students, the official government regulator, placed Bristol amongst the five universities with the largest imbalance between students from the most privileged and disadvantaged regions - alongside Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, and University College London.
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The new data takes into account students from across England, however the disparity between students accessing higher education within Bristol itself has been widely reported on in the past. In October 2018, it was found that 100 per cent of school-leavers in Clifton went on to university, compared to just 8.2 per cent from Hartcliffe.
In 2017/2018 - the most recent available statistics - just 4.6 per cent of the university's undergraduate population came from areas that had less than 20 per cent of 18-year-olds leaving school for university. The proportion across all English higher education providers was 12 per cent.
The university had improved its accessibility for students for poorer students by less than two per cent - in 2013/2014, 2.9 per cent of students at the university came from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.
These figures are in stark contrast with the percentage of undergraduates who come from areas in which the highest number of school leavers go to university, with 56.9 per cent of students hailing from the most privileged backgrounds. The average across all English universities was 30.3 per cent.
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The university is classed as a 'high tariff' institution, meaning it is allowed to charge the top level of £9,250 in annual tuition fees. The Office for Students is currently scrutinising plans from these university to improve access, due to the fact that none of the the country's most expensive universities recruit more than 12.6 per cent of students from the most disadvantaged parts of the country.
The data revealed that Bristol also recruited a much higher proportion of white undergraduates than other universities, with 83.6 per cent of the population classed as white. The average in English universities is 68.9 per cent.
A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to making our university a socially diverse and inclusive community. While we appreciate that there is still significant work to be done, the university is making real progress and we’re beginning to see our new measures make an impact.
“In the last five years there has been a 90 per cent increase in the university’s intake from students attending the lowest performing schools, state school intake increased to 67 per cent in 2018 and our flagship two-grade lower contextual offer is having a transformative impact on the social diversity of our student community.
“We recognise the need to attract and admit a greater number of students from the most disadvantaged regions and have extended our contextual offer to include those who apply from neighbourhoods with the lowest progression rates to higher education.
“We remain committed to developing innovative solutions and are very proud of our pioneering Bristol Scholars scheme. 76 students from the city, who have suffered significant levels of educational or domestic disadvantage, have entered the University since this innovative programme began in 2017.”
